I know, I know, everyone hates rules. But they are there for VERY good reasons. Please read them thoroughly before you apply.

Please note: This site is targeted mostly toward intermediate/advanced gamers, or those who are very open-minded and willing to experiment. If you are unwilling to write or adjust your characters based on the rules below, then this is not a site for you. Part of the fun of this site is the development of our writing and gaming abilities, which means writing outside your comfort zone part of the time.

Applying

This is the most important item of note for character applications!Upon creation of a character, the application must include a certain number of randomly chosen traits, including at least one of each of the following:Scars, phobias (more phobias), hobbiesYou may pick from the items in these lists (or from another list, just make sure to highlight it, then I'll add it to these lists), or, if you're really in for some excitement, I will randomly dice-roll an item for your character for each of the traits. Please note: hobbies should be something that is not related to your character's craft.FULL DRAGONRIDERS: Your character should have at least three scars; Threadfighting is inherently more dangerous than the lifestyle of your average Pernese and riders typically have more scars than non-riders.

Due to the rule above, feel free to make otherwise perfect characters. Mary Sues and Gary Stus (caricatures of ourselves) are also welcome, prior to the quirks listed above. The quirks above ensure some imperfections and some minimization of caricaturing.

You may have only one character per account. You may have as many accounts as you like so long as each character gets some attention every month.

Please try to help us keep a balanced male-female character ratio on the site. I am not putting up any gender requirements at this time, but I may in the future if our ratio of men to women gets too skewed.

Before you roleplay your character you MUST MUST MUST have a character application posted. There are also other character-related applications that need to be filled out, but they don't have to be done before your character is accepted; however, your character application must be accepted by Kes, Sora, or Kura before you can begin roleplay.

There is no such thing as a SAD, FAD, FAF, or HAF (Sense/Speak to all dragons, Feel all dragons, Feel all firelizards, or Hear all firelizards). ONLY HADs (and only one or two of those). Also, I am not accepting anything I recognize as coming from Todd's books because he has altered too many things regarding the universe Anne created; I will not change the world Anne created, but I will add to it.

You may not apply with more than two pets per character.

Posting

READ EVERYTHING. This rule is in place because the point of roleplay is that characters are supposed to interact. This means reading posts to make sure they don't apply to one of your characters. Yes, sometimes, this occurs by accident--I've done it on occasion, too--but if you routinely miss interactions with your character or ignore an obvious one, you will be reprimanded.

The admins are not responsible to ensure that gamers log in and post. At semi-regular intervals (ever 1-3 months, depending on site activity), site sweeps will be conducted to remove accounts/characters who are inactive.

OOC/General

Respect EVERYONE on the site. We're all here to have fun and disrespect is the fastest way to ruin fun. Do not ignore new characters or gamers because they're new; WELCOME them to the site and go out of your way to plot and roleplay with them.

If an Admin or Mod tells you something, listen: they have helped to put the site together and have every right to be shown respect.

Don't flame or spam the boards.

Advertisements go in the advertisement forum. Post them elsewhere and they will be deleted without question/warning/explanation.

No porn on this site, despite what may happen IC'ly, pornographic imagery is despicable and totally unwelcome. Users caught posting porn will have their characters confiscated and their accounts deleted.

STAY ACTIVE! You must log in AND post once every two weeks. If you can't post IC then at least post something OOC--this includes absent posts. If you are going to be absent for longer than two weeks and you know it, write it into your absent post. Boredom attacks everyone and we'd hate to see you be deleted from the site for inactivity! ^^ (Psst: This is why we have the OOC contests--gives you a creative outlet that doesn't have to revolve around the site!)

As part of our maintenance procedures, we have a site sweep at semi-regular intervals. If you have not posted at least twice between site sweeps, your account will be placed under the warning column (barring absences as posted in the absent board). If you fail to post in the site sweep, your account is considered inactive and it will be suspended until the next site sweep or until you are able to return to active roleplaying, whichever comes first. At the second site sweep, your account will be deleted and your characters confiscated and placed up for adoption.

ABSOLUTELY NO CHAT SPEAK! Unless it's in OOC comments in your post or something like that. Nonetheless, none of this bull that looks funny like "4mre" or "every1" or "2nite." Type it out properly or Seeth has permission to FLAME YOU (AKA you'll be deleted if it becomes a problem). Note: a limited amount of this is accepted in OOC comments in posts or the OOC boards, and naturally, the cbox is fair game, but DO keep it understandable.

IC General

No power playing, this one is a BIG no-no. If you are caught doing this one without permission, then your account will be suspended pending an apology to the gamer you power-played or the next site sweep (whichever comes first). Any subsequent offense will result in your characters being confiscated and your account being deleted.Note: In certain situations, this is okay, namely in fights or other situations that require quick responses between gamers. However, make sure to let me know that you have consent to power play in order to prevent any misunderstandings!

No god-moding, unless you've expressed permission from the other party and have notified the admin. For this too you will be suspended pending apology or site sweep. Subsequent offenses result in confiscation and deletion.

Fighting and killing is something that happens. If you wish to kill off a character or something like that, message me so that we might be able to remove your character from the pages (and also to let us know so we don't spaz and wonder what the heck is going on!). Prior notification also allows plots to develop.

Post length. How fun and exciting? Anyway, for this I will request that you post a minimum of ten sentences (typically, this will work out to two paragraphs). It's easy to do. I don't want you sitting there and doing nothing. Description is a good thing and we'd like to see you TRY to include it--smells, feelings, colors, stuff like that.

Mature Content. I don't have a problem if someone wants to RP that out just be sure to include a warning so people can avoid reading it if they don't wish to. (Warnings can be something like; Mature Content (MC), PG-13, Mature Viewers (MV), etc.) However, keep it clean, NO PORN.

DO NOT under any circumstances, make threads involving roleplays you did over e-mail, site messaging, YIM, AIM, MSN or any other form of messenger service. You may mention the roleplay in question if you'd like but do not make posts that are continuations of what happened in said roleplay. If I catch this, it will be deleted without warning and your account will be suspended.

Weyrlings

Male weyrlings can be no younger than 12 and newly-Impressed males no older than 20. Females can be no younger than 16 and newly-Impressed, no older than 24.

Due to the emotional instability of young dragons, no relationships should occur between weyrlings. However, because there's nothing I love more than drama (and a good plot twist), this rule is one that may be broken... provided there is a reason. And as long as not everyone goes against this rule. Though be warned, if you are caught, you WILL be punished (usually with extra chores - especially the unsavory ones - and possibly being held back from graduation). The Weyrlingmasters are not fond of rule breakers.

Weyrlings will not be allowed to become a full member of a Wing until they are 16 years old--no matter what age they Impressed, how old their dragon is, or how mature they are as a partnership.

Weyrling Lessons:There are seven lessons for Weyrlings to attend in order to advance to the status of Full Rider. Each lesson contains at least one mini-lesson (total of 16 mini-lessons); weyrlings are required to attend at least one mini-lesson within each age group w/in the lesson plus one additional mini-lesson of choice for a total of 10 attended mini-lessons. Within these mini-lessons, the character must complete 80% of the required posts.

Flights, Clutching, Touching/Hatching

There is a flight schedule. Technically, this goes for all NPCs as well, but as the number of these grows, their flights will get less and less attention (except queens). If you want to have an existing NPC as your weyrmate, you can either RP out the flight or just let me know.

Flights have options: you can run an NPC/OOC flight (use the NPC/OOC flight template), or you can run it as a PC flight. The only flights that must, ALWAYS, under ALL circumstances, be RP'ed out IC'ly are queen dragon flights (we also encourage that any queens of any pet also be RP'ed out IC'ly, but this isn't a strict rule).

Green dragons do NOT blood kills. Green dragonets and firelizards may, since they actually produce clutches, but the only reason for blooding is to provide extra energy for the flight. The extra energy is needed to gain altitude so that as the mating occurs (on the wing) and the pair plummets, they will not hit the ground before the mating is finished.

The RP'er playing the female chooses who is to catch her, not the gamers playing the males (unless the female specifically gives up her right to choose).

Please be sure that NO flight/chase lasts for more than 3 weeks. If you are having troubles deciding, narrow it down and flip a coin. If males are failing to post, you have the choice to assume that they have dropped out of the chase or are continuing to chase but are not doing anything special.

No betweening during a flight. If your dragon goes between during a flight, they DO NOT COME BACK. No ifs, ands, or buts! This may be done for plot purposes (to kill the dragon or pet) but only with permission.

In the event that a winner has not been selected after the flight/chase has been open for 3 weeks, one of the Admins will solve the matter (this goes if the female fails to post, as well).

When the winner has been announced, I (Kes) will message you with the clutch content and size if there is going to be a clutch.

The mother of the clutch decides who gets what, though I have full authority to take away that dragon if I feel you do not deserve it. (The second part of this rule doesn't apply to pets except queens.)

When Impressing a dragon, if you complain OOC'ly over what hatchling you got, it WILL be taken away and you will not have another chance to Impress. So, you want a dragon, take what you get. Naturally, IC complaints and ribbing among weyrlings is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged.

Crafters

Apprentices can be no younger than 8 turns old. If they are just starting their training, they will probably not be older than 16 turns. Apprentices and Journeymen make up the bulk of the Crafter population, so they can be any age so long as they are not just STARTING their training.

If your Apprentice is "new," you MUST submit an Apprenticeship application.

Apprenticeships are "planned" to last 4 IC years, however, a few will be able to complete it in less time and a few will take longer. Think of it like a "Bachelors Degree."

Journeymen can be no younger than 12 turns old. Most of the crafter population is made of Apprentices and Journeymen, and most Journeymen NEVER make Master, simply because they don't have the skill for it.

In their 3rd year, Journeymen are given the choice to take a post (permanent or temporary) or remain at the Hall. This will not impact their studies any (if they are attempting to earn their Mastery).

Like Apprenticeships, a Journeyman with the potential to become a Master has a "course schedule" that takes 4 years (give or take) to complete. This is like getting a "Masters" or "PhD."

Lessons Each Crafthall and each level (Apprentice or Journeyman) has a set number of classes that students must complete in order to graduate. 80% of classes are required.

To complete a class, the gamer must post in the appropriate section of the Hall: a 3-5 paragraph* "essay" about the class, and it must contain at least one topic that no other gamer has already covered (see the crafthall's page to see what others have submitted). This fulfills three goals of the site:* A paragraph is at least 5 full sentences.

Your character actually has to do something to attain the next level of Craftsmanship

You get to learn something about the Craft your character is in, allowing to you RP them better

The site's knowledge base for the Craft gets expanded and enriches all gamers' knowledge of the craft

In order to walk the tables, your character must submit a "thesis" paper; by the time they're ready to walk, they should have chosen a specialization. The paper must have:

An introductory paragraph

A paragraph about each class and how it fits in with the specialization

A paragraph about what the character's plans are for their specialization (how they intend to continue their studies during their Journey or Mastery and if they intend to add any other specializations)

A conclusion paragraph.

Masters must be at their majority, therefore, no younger than 18. Very few Journeymen make Master. They have the choice of taking a permanent post at another Hold (or hold, or Hall, or Weyr) or remaining at their Hall. If they remain at their Hall, they WILL be expected to teach at least one class. Alternatively, they may choose to appeal to the MasterCrafter to open a new minor Hall in another holding.

The MasterCrafter may not be younger than 25. Most often, the MasterCrafter will be older than this, but this is the minimum age. He or she must also have at least 4 turns of experience as a Master, including teaching.

MOST IMPORTANT RULE OF ALL

Have fun!

Rules may be added as I see fit. Please don't make me add more. Also, some of you may recognize these as the rules from other Weyr sites, with some tweaks made. Since I've roleplayed on and run several sites and these rules really are pretty general (with a few exceptions based out of my past experiences, personal preferences, and ideas for the site), I figured that was easier than trying to write everything myself from scratch. ^^